The Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that same-sex marriage is supported by 53 percent of those surveyed. That's amazing. For the first time in the poll's history, the level of support for marriage equality cracked 50 percent. For the first time, a majority of men (53 percent) say yes to allowing gays to wed. But what's truly historic is where white Catholics are on this issue.

The question was straightforward: "Do you think it should be illegal or legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married?" In February 2010, an astounding 55 percent of white Catholics said "legal." In the current poll, the number jumped 8 points to 63 percent. This Post-ABC News poll corresponds with a Gallup poll I gasped at in June 2010. That survey showed that Catholics (62 percent) and men (53 percent) were leading the charge on acceptance of same-sex marriage, which was supported by 52 percent of all surveyed.

This doesn't come as a surprise to Phil Attey, executive director of Catholics for Equality, who alerted me to this interesting nugget in the Post-ABC News polling data. "American Catholics consistently poll higher on progressive social justice issues -- including the freedom to marry for all," he said.